This blog provides delicious,traditional, vegetarian, South Indian Recipes from my mother Chitra Amma's kitchen. There are few 'world recipes' as well!
Thanks to Shravan, Pranav, Akash, Tara, Guggs, Shankari, Adu, Dhrithi, and Appa Ramachandran for the photos!

Ganesha is Beejapooraphalaasakta - The one who loves the fruit Citron (Narthampazham in Tamil and Heralekai in kannada ). A delicious Kalanda Saadam / Chitraanna can be prepared using the juice of this fruit.

But here is a rice dish prepared with another favourite fruit of Lord Ganesha - the pineapple fruit.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Ganesha is Lambodara - the pot bellied one. Apart from the hundreds of sweets and savouries offered to Him by His devotees, the Chubby Baby loves fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers too.Sweet potato and Tapioca are supposed to be His favourite root vegetables.

Jevvarisi / Sago is manufactured using the tapioca root. Ganesha will be most pleased with the sweet Jevvarisi Paayasam prepared out of His favourite tapioca.

INGREDIENTS

Sago - 1 cup

Crushed jaggery - 1 cup

Boiled and reduced milk or thick coconut milk - 2 cups

Saffron - a few strands

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Pachche karpoora ( edible camphor ) - 1 small flake

Cashew nuts - a few

Raisins - a few

Ghee - 2 tbsps

METHOD

1. Dry roast the sago till it pops up.

2. Wash the roasted sago and drain the water.

3.Cover it with a lid and allow it to soften for about half an hour.

4. Dissolve jaggery in 2 1/2 cups of water and filter.

5. Boil the jaggery water till it emanates a very pleasant aroma.

6. Add the softened sago to the jaggery water and cook till it thickens.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Aama vadai or Vadai prepared using bengal gram dal is a standard dish required to celebrate all the festivals in South Indian homes.With the addition of onion and some spices it can be turned out into a delicious Masal Vadae- a spicy snack.

Vadai occupies an important place among the prasaadams prepared for Sri Ganesha Chaturti as well.

Lord Ganesha is referred to as Dantin (The one who has tusks ) in the ancient sacred texts. Dantin is described as holding a corn sheaf in one hand and a sugar cane in the other. He is the protector of crops and His rat mount symbolises that He controls pests and assures of a bountiful harvest.

Here is a Vadai for Sri Ganesha prepared with His favourite corn - Sholam - which He holds in His hand.

INGREDIENTS

Frozen corn - 1 cup

Bengal gram flour/besan - 1 cup

Rice flour - 2 tbsps

Chopped green chillies - 1 tsp

Chopped coriander and dil leaves - 2 tbsps

Chopped fresh ginger - 1 tsp

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Hot Oil - 2 tbsps

Oil for frying

METHOD

1. Defrost the corn and squeeze out the excess water.

2. Mix all the ingredients together adding 1 tbsp of hot oil.

3. Sprinkle water little at a time and knead it into a stiff dough.

4. Mix in the remaining 1 tbsp of oil so that the dough does not stick to your hand.

5. Heat oil.

6.Pinch a small lemon size ball of dough and pat it into a round vadai on your wet palm.

7.Slide the vadai into hot oil.

8. Make batches of 6 or 8 vadais and fry on medium flame until they turn golden brown in colour.

Offer the hot and crisp Shola Vadais with soft interiors to Lord Ganesha and relish the Ganesha Prasaadam.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Lord Ganesha is Vigna Vinaashaka ( destroyer of hurdles ). The elephant faced Child with elephantine strength to match, destroys all the obstacles encountered by His devotees.A nourishing Sundal is an apt prasaadam which can be offered to the Lord on Ganesha Chturti day.

Mostly Kadalai (Chickpea) Sundal prasaadam is distributed in leaf cups / paper cups in all the pendaals which mushroom through out the city to celebrate the festival of Lord Ganesha. Here is a recipe for a very healthy and nutritious Soya Sundal which can be offered to Lord Ganesha.

INGREDIENTS

Dry soya beans - 1 cup

Green chillies - 2

Ginger - 1'' piece

Fresh coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Salt 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsps

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Split black gram dal - 1/2 tsp

Red chillies - 2

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Fresh coconut gratings - 2 tbsps

Lime - one small

METHOD

1. Soak soya beans for 24 hours changing the water at least twice during the soaking time.

2. Wash the soya beans, add 1/2 cup of water and cook in a pressure cooker until three whistles.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Lord Ganesha's happy face - Prasanna Vadanam - looks radiant with grace when His devotees offer Him His favourite Kohukattai / Modakam. Kozhukattai is the first and foremost among the various other sweets prepared on Ganesha Chaturti day.

Tengai poorna kozhukattai ( a dumpling with coconut and jaggery filling ) is the traditional sweet prepared for Ganesha Chaturti. Some times Ellu Poorna kozhukattai ( dumpling with sesame and jaggery filling ) is also prepared for variety. The method of preparing both the kozhukattais are the same except that the fillings are different.

The dough for the outer covering of the kozhukattais are usually prepared by cooking the rice flour in water. Portions of the dough are shaped into cups, stuffed with the sweet filling, sealed and then steamed.

Here is another method where the raw rice flour is only mixed with water to make the dough. Portions of the dough are flattened on the palm and filled with the poornam ( Sweet filling ) and sealed. Then the raw kozhukattais are directly cooked in boiling water.

INGREDIENTS

Rice flour - 1 cup

oil - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 pinch

Sesame seeds - 3/4 cup

Grated dry coconut ( copra ) - 2 tbsps

Jaggery - 3/4 cup

METHOD

1. Dry roast sesame seeds till you get a pleasant aroma.

2. Cool the roasted seeds and grind with dry coconut gratings and jaggery into a slightly coarse powder.

3. Make plum size balls out of the ellu poornam .The oil in the sesame seeds and the sticky jaggery will enable the balls to hold.

4.Mix rice flour, salt and oil in a bowl and make a soft dough adding water little by little.

5. Pinch a small lemon size ball from the dough, flatten it on your palm and place a ball of poornam in the middle.

6. Gather the edges together and seal the poornam with a peak.

7. Set a wide mouthed vessel with 1/2 lit of water adding 1/2 tsp of sesame oil on the stove and switch on the flame.

8. In the mean while make a batch of 6 , 8 or 10 kozhukattais depending on the size of the cooking vessel.

9. Gently drop the kozhukattais one by one into the boiling water.

10. Boil for 5 minutes . Use a spoon and slightly prod the kozhukattais so that they do not 'sit' at the base of the vessel for long.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

After a lot of persuasion by Sri Krishna, the Lord's childhood friend Kuchela hands out his humble offering to Him. The beaten rice offering conveys to the Lord the predicament of his dear friend Kuchela who is pounded and beaten by the worldly miseries. When Krishna lovingly savours the beaten rice Kuchela is blessed with all the sweetness in life.

Offering Vella Aval to Sri Krishna reminds us that He stands by his devotees in all the ups and downs of life.

INGREDIENTS

Beaten Rice - 1 cup

Crushed jaggery - 3/4 cup

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Salt - 1/2 a pinch

Cashew nuts - few

Grated dry coconut ( copra ) - 2 tbsps

Ghee - 2 tsps

Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

METHOD

1. Dry roast beaten rice till it pops up and gives out a pleasant aroma.

2. Wash the roasted aval and squeeze out all the water.

3. Rub salt and turmeric powder evenly, cover with a lid and allow to soak for fifteen minutes till it becomes soft.

4. Heat one spoon of ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts to a golden colour.

5. Add the soaked aval and stir well.

6. Cover and cook on low flame for a few minutes.

7. Remove lid and stir well and switch off flame when all the moisture is evaporated.

8. Add one cup of water to crushed jaggery and boil it in another saucepan.

9. Filter the jaggery water, return it to the saucepan and continue boiling till the syrup foams and becomes very sticky.

10. Add the jaggery syrup to the aval and stir well.

11. Switch on the stove and cook the aval in jaggery syrup till the syrup coats each and every grain of aval.

12. When the vella aval becomes dry switch off flame again.

13. Add cardamom powder and the dry coconut gratings.

14.Add the remaining ghee and allow the vella aval to cool.

Fluff up the jaggery coated Vella Aval using a spoon or fork and offer it to Sri Krishna.Savour the prasaadam and enjoy the bliss.

Children like all types of laddus. It is easy for them to hold the laddus in their tiny cupped palms and relish the sweet bite by bite. Rawa laddu is a traditional sweet prepared in all South Indian homes.

Carrot Rawa Laddus are slightly different from the traditional ones.

INGREDIENTS

Carrots - 2

Semolina - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee - 2 tspsCashew nuts - a few

Raisins - a few

Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

Warm milk - 1/4 cup

METHOD

1, Peel, dice and grind carrots with little water into a coarse paste.2. Add water if necessary to make one cup and keep aside.3.Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins till they become golden in colour.

4.Add rawa and continue to roast till it gives out a pleasant aroma.

5. Remove the roasted ingredients to a plate.

6. Add the carrot paste and sugar to the same pan and cook till it reaches the soft ball stage.

7. When the carrot syrup is sticky enough to bind the rawa, add the fried rawa and mix well.

8.Add cardamom powder, switch off flame and allow it to cool for a few minutes.

9. Grease your palm with little ghee, sprinkle a teaspoon of warm milk to a small portion of the crumbly mixture and make a laddu.

10 . Continue sprinkling warm milk and make the laddus portion by portion while the mixture is still warm.

Offer the Carrot Rawa Laddu to baby Krishna on His happy birthday and distribute the prasaadam to all the children.

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Hello

Welcome to Chitra Amma's Kitchen.

I am Dibs. I am a born Foodie. I love to cook; love to eat; love to feed folks who appreciate good food. Blogging provides me a great way of documenting my mother, Chitra’s recipes, as a ready reference irrespective which time zone I live in. Amma honestly makes the best food I've ever had, and somehow, the anecdotes she tells us, make the dishes taste all the better.Most posts here are written by my mother Chitra. It’s her recipes, along with related reminiscences of people, places and anecdotes. She writes, I post!What started for a lark, has now become a serious hobby, drawing in participation from the whole family. My father, S.R. Ramachandran has started clicking away every dish made at home! Aunts, cousins, siblings, contribute to photos, and ask for recipes.We try to illustrate implements such as utensils, grinding stones and so on from the ‘pre-electric-mixer’ days wherever possible. We hope this will make an interesting read for future generations, on how food was cooked in earlier times!The site is still in its infancy, and slowly evolving, as our skills improve! We invite your comments, ideas, and questions, and will attempt answering them.

Thank you for your visit, and we hope you enjoy your stay at Chitra Amma’s Kitchen.